Congresswoman Janice Hahn recently provided a congressional certificate to the distinguished Dr. Paul Orhii, the Federal Government of Nigeria appointed Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

It marked the United States welcome of Dr. Orhii who is head of an agency charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the importation, exportation, manufacture, advertisement, sales and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, medical devices and packaged water in Nigeria.

Dr. Orhii pioneered the use of cutting-edge technologies by introducing TRUSCAN, a handheld device used in checking the quality of medicines on the spot. The first regulatory Agency in the world to successfully deploy Truscan.

Rep. Hahn’s office was represented at the Library of Congress event and presented Dr. Orhii with the certificate hailing him for his steadfast innovations to improve the health and quality of life for Nigerians.

“In recognition of your public service and accomplishments as the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), an agency charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the importation, exportation, manufacture, advertisement, sales and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, medical devices and packaged water,” the Congressional certificate read.

“Your innovative strategy in fighting the menace of counterfeit regulated products is most deserving of the respect, admiration, and commendation of the United States Congress. Congratulations and continued success,” it concluded.

President Obama announced plans to convene a summit in the United States next year, with heads of state from sub-Saharan Africa called to help “launch a new chapter in U.S.-African relations.”

The president has firmly assured, “America will make no apology for supporting African efforts to end conflict and stand up for human dignity.”

Dr. Orhii’s visit the U.S. came just as Obama was making his push to strengthen relations with Africa.

Nigeria is plagued with the mass distribution of counterfeit medications that has lead to death among its citizens.

Dr. Orhii believes that the availability of essential medicines is a national security issue. He has repositioned NAFDAC as a global leader in the fight against counterfeit medical products. The Agency is rated among the top 18 regulatory agencies in the world, the first in Africa and the only one to belong to that group.

He is currently the vice chair of International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT), made up of 193 WHO Member states, with headquarters in Geneva. Only recently, Dr. Orhii was invited by US Council on Foreign Relations to present a position paper that was used at the G8 Summit.

He is fully licensed as an Attorney and Counselor at Law in Texas and is a member of the Texas Bar.